Handle construction for boxes and cartons



Nov. 8, 1955 J. V. MITCHELL HANDLE CONSTRUCTION FOR BOXES AND CARTONS Filed Oct. 31, 1952 United States Patent 2,723,075- HANDLE CONSTRUCTION FOR'BOXESAND CARTONS James V. Mitchell, Chicago, 111-, assignor to-Baekaging Corporationof America,.Chicago, Ill., aroorporation of Illinois Application October 31, 1952, Serial'No. 317,92e

4 Claims. (Cl. 229-52) This invention relates to certain new and-useful-improvements in a handleconstruction for. boxes. and-cartons which are especially designed for use for transporting garments and-other articles.

A principal object of the invention. is to provide a handle structure for. suchabox in which the handle element may be quicklyand. easily. attached. to the box by an unskilled person without the exercise, of any undue labor or time.

As boxes of. the type herein referred. to arenot sold to the customer but are given without charge-for. the convenience of the customer. intransportinga garment or other article it willbe appreciatedthat it isunost desirable. that the handle structure. be simple inzcOnSttUC- tionv to affordeconomical manufacture thereof. It. is, therefore, a-further object of this-invention to accomplish such arr-object.

It isa further object-of'this invention that the-handle structure be of such'character as-to permitits incorporationrin boxes and.cartons of various constructions and designs. 7

Itis also an object-of the. invention toprovidea handle structure which-may not onlybe quickly; and easily aliixcd or. attached tothe box-butalso one which will be of sufficientv strength .for the purposes :for: whichit is :intended.

Other objects will appearhereinafter;

The invention consists.-in:the novel combination and arrangement: ofv parts'to be hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will. be besttunderstood by. reference to the accompanying drawings showing the preferred term of construction, and inwhich;

Fig.1 isaperspectiveview of aconventionazl garment box. having incorporated therein my improved handle structure;;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary top plan-view of thesamezwith thehandle removedand withia portion of the outer fiap likewise removed;

Fig. 3. is a fragmentary perspective view of the. box illustrated in Fig. 1 showing the firststep inapplying the handle element tothe box;

Fig; 4 is a perspectivev view similar. to. Fig, 3. showing the succeedingstep in applying the handle element'to the boxgqand Fig; is a fragmentary perspective view similar: to Figs. 3 and 4 but showing the'handle elementin applied position with respect to'the box.

In accomplishing the several. objects of my invention, it is to be'understoodthat' the handle structuremay be incorporated in boxes of various designs and construction. Itherefore do" not want tobe limitedto the preciseconstruction of.the1box illustratedin. the drawings of this application. Such box has been illustrated forexplanatory purposes and is of a conventional constructiontwhich includes a cover section 10 and a bottom section 11 arranged in telescopical'relation with respect toeach other.

The box is, as shown, of the col=lapsibletype with the side walls 12 attached to the top wall 13 by means of aslot and tab construction 14. Thetop wall'13-of the coversection It) is likewise connected by meanslofa tab and slot construction 15 to the wallQ1'6 of the bottom section. 11.

ice

My improved handle construction comprises. a pair of spaced apart elongated slots 16 formed in alignment withrespect to each other in the top wall-17 of'the bottom section 11.

Such structure further includes normally closed slits 18- formed in spaced relation and'in alignmentwith respect to eachother in the top wall 13 and insubstantial registration with the slots16'. Inzstating that the slits 18 are normally closed, I mean by such a statement that the: adjacent portions of the wall 13= defining such slits arein substantial contacting relation with respectto each other and are capable of being forced apart to permit the. passage therethrough of portions of. ahandle element to be presently referred to.

Corresponding end portions 19-ofthe slits 18. termi nate into transversely extending normally closed slits 20. Such a construction gives thenecessary flexibility to the portion of the wall 13 surrounding the slits 18 when the portions. of. the handle element are manually forced through the slits 18.

The opposite. corresponding end portions 21 of the slits 18 terminate into apertures 22 and 23. These apertures, as hereafterpointed out, will guide the insertable portions of the handle element into and through the slits.

The aperture 23 is located in alignment and in spaced relation with-respectto a keeper aperture 24' formed in the wall 13. The aperture 24' is located in registration with an aperture 24 formed: in the" top wall 17 of the bottomsection 16.

The handle element 25 is preferably formed: from a length of wire-bent to provide an intermediate'portion 26 which-isnormally'grasped by the-hand' Extending substantially at right angles to this intermediate portion 26- are' leg portions-- 27. The end portions of the wire length are bent substantially at right angles with respect to the leg portions 27. and in parallel relation to the intermediate portion 26 to provide'carriagearms 28 and 28' which are substantially in alignment with respect to eachiother. The carriage arm 28 is; provided with: an upturned latching; finger; 29 adapted to cooperatewith the keeper apertures 24 and 24' in the mannerrpresently described.

Ahandle element constructed substantially asabove described isapplied. to v the box; inthe following manner-.-

The operator graspsthehandle element in the manner shown inFig. 3 andlocates" the corner 30-thereof upon the adjacentopening 22. A downward and* inclined pressure isnow exerted: on. the handle element to force the. carriage arms through theadjacent slit 18 to the position shown-in dotted lines Fig. 3. After this has been accomplished the operator then tilts thehandle element downwardly with respectto thehorizontal'so'as-to locate the arm28 over the adjacent-slit 18. When this has been :done the operator continues'the tilting movement of the handle element untilthearm 28' has passed through the adjacentislit 18.. The handleelernentisthen moved downwardly, to pass the latchingarms 28 and28' through the slots 16.

From this position the handle element is then shifted ina parallel direction'with respect to the wall 13 to locate the latch finger 29 in registration with the keeper apertures 24 and 24' so that when the handle element is moved to the position shown in Fig. 5,- the finger 29'will be located in the openings 24 and 24'. In this position of. the'finger 29' the" handle element is prevented from shifting during the-carrying of' the box or carton;

The web portion131' of the cover 13'will prevent the handle. element from-passing entirely. through the slits 18 into the interiorof the box. 1

Fromthe-foregoing description it will beapparentathat I haveqprovided aha-ndlez structure capable. of accomplishing allof the objects hereinbefore stated While I have shown and described the employment of the latch finger Z and its cooperating openings 24 and 24 and while I deem it advantageous to employ such latching finger and such openings, it is to be understood that, if desired, this latch finger and its cooperating openings may be omitted without departing from the spirit of the invention.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying my invention into eifect, this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. 1, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

l. A handle structure comprising a cover and bottom section telescopically related to each other, the top wall of the cover section having a pair of aligned and spaced apart normally closed elongated slits formed therein with corresponding ends of the slits terminating into normally closed slits formed in the top wall and extending transversely of said first slits and said first slits terminating at corresponding end portions into apertures each of a diameter greater than the width of said elongated slits, the top wall of the bottom section having a pair of spaced apart aligned slots formed therein in substantial registration with said slits, and a handle element having an intermediate portion provided with depending legs, said legs terminating in substantially horizontally aligned arms in spaced parallel relation to said intermediate portion and substantially at right angles to said legs, said handle at the point of connection between said legs and said arms insertable in the ends of said first slits and adapted for longitudinal movement therethrough in the direction of said arms, said arms when said handle has been inserted in said slits and moved longitudinally therethrough engageable with said top wall of said bottom section, latch means carried by one of said arms and cooperating with an aperture formed in said cover and bottom sections for latching said handle in operative position when said handle is moved in an opposite longitudinal direction through said first slits.

2. A handle structure comprising a cover and bottom section telescopically related to each other, the top wall of the cover section having a pair of aligned and spaced apart normally closed elongated slits formed therein with corresponding ends of the slits terminating into normally closed slits formed in the top wall and extending transversely of said first slits and said first slit terminating at correponding end portions into apertures each of a diameter greater than the width of said elongated slits, the top wall of the bottom section having a pair of spaced apart aligned slots formed therein in substantial registration with said slits, the top wall of the cover section and the top wall of said bottom section each having an opening formed therein in spaced relation with respect to the said slits and slots respectively, with the opening of the top wall of the cover section in registration with the opening in the top wall of the bottom section, and a handle element having an intermediate portion provided with depending legs, said legs terminating in substantially horizontally extending aligned arms in spaced parallel relation to said intermediate portion and substantially at right angles to said legs, said handle at a point of connection between said legs and said arms insertable in said apertures at the ends of said first slits and adapted for longitudinal movement therethrough in the direction of said arms, said arms when said handle has been inserted in said first slit and moved longitudinally thereto engageable with said top wall of said bottom section, latch means carried by one of said arms and cooperating with an aperture formed in said opening for latching said handle in operative position when said handle is moved in an opposite longitudinal direction through said first slits.

3. A handle structure comprising a cover and bottom section telescopically related to each other, the top wall of the cover section having a pair of aligned and spaced apart normally closed elongated slits formed therein with corresponding ends of the slits terminating into normally closed slits formed in the top wall and extending transversely of said first slits and said first slits terminating at corresponding end portions into apertures each of a diameter greater than the width of said elongated slits, the top wall of the bottom section having a pair of spaced apart aligned slots formed therein in substantial registration with said slits, a handle element having an intermediate portion provided with depending legs, said legs terminating in substantially horizontally aligned arms in spaced parallel relation to said intermediate portion and substantially at right angles to said legs, said handle at the point of connection between said legs and said arms insertable in said apertures at the ends of said first slits and adapted for longitudinal movement therethrough in the direction of said arms, said arms when said handle has been inserted in said slits and moved longitudinally therethrough engageable with said top wall of said bottom section, latch means carried by one of said arms and co operating with an aperture formed in said cover and bottom sections for latching said handle in operative position when said handle is moved in an opposite longitudinal direction through said first slits, said last-named means including a substantially vertically extending finger carried by one of said arms cooperating with said sections to latch said handle in operative position.

4. A handle structure comprising a cover and bottom section telescopically related to each other, the top wall of the cover section having a pair of aligned and spaced apart normally closed elongated slits formed therein with corresponding ends of the slits terminating into normally closed slits formed in the top wall and extending transversely of said first slits and said first slits terminating at corresponding end portions into apertures each of a diameter greater than the Width of said elongated slits, the top wall of the bottom section having a pair of spaced apart aligned slots formed therein in substantial registration with said slits, the top wall of the cover section and the top wall of said bottom section each having an opening formed therein in spaced relation with respect to the said slits and slots respectively, with the opening of the top wall of the cover section in registration with the opening in the top wall of the bottom section, and a handle element having an intermediate portion provided with depending legs, said legs terminating in substantially horizontally extending aligned arms in spaced parallel relation to said intermediate portion and substantially at right angles to said legs, said handle insertable in said apertures at the ends of said first slits and adapted for longitudinal movement therethrough in the direction of said arms, said arms when said handle has been inserted in said first slits and moved longitudinally thereto engageable with said top wall of said bottom section, means carried by one of said arms and cooperating with said openings for latching said handle in operative position when said handle is moved in an opposite longitudinal direction through said first slits, said last-named means including a substantially vertically extending finger carried by one of said arms and adapted to be inserted in said openings when said handle is moved in an opposite longitudinal direction through said first slits.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

